Foreign and Commonwealth Office

Turkey: Kurds

Lord Hylton: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what representations they are making to the government of Turkey, following the killing on 15 November in Nusaybin of Selamet Yesilmen; and whether they intend to call for full compensation for killed and injured civilians and property damaged throughout south-eastern Turkey.

Baroness Anelay of St Johns: We are aware of the case of Selamet Yesilmen, who was killed in clashes between the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) and Turkish authorities in Nusaybin, and closely monitor the human rights situation across Turkey, including the southeast. As we have made clear, the PKK must cease its violence and the peace process needs to be resumed, in the interests of Turkey and the wider region.

Israel: Palestinians

Baroness Tonge: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what representations they have made to the government of Israel regarding the closure by Israeli forces of two stone factories in a village south of Bethlehem for security reasons, after incidents of stone throwing in the vicinity.

Baroness Anelay of St Johns: We have not made representations to the Israeli authorities over the specific issue of the closure of two stone factories. However we continue to urge both the Israelis and Palestinians to maintain calm and refrain from taking actions which could make peace more difficult to achieve.

Israel: Palestinians

Baroness Tonge: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what representations they have made to the government of Israel regarding the retention by Israel of the bodies of suspected Palestinian combatants, rather than returning those bodies to their families.

Baroness Anelay of St Johns: The Deputy Head of Mission at our Embassy in Tel Aviv raised this issue with Israel's National Security Council Director on 18 November. We continue to urge both the Israelis and Palestinians to maintain calm and refrain from taking actions which could make peace more difficult to achieve.

Israel: Palestinians

Baroness Tonge: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what representations they have made to the government of Israel following reports that the Israeli army is preventing a Palestinian woman from travelling to her own wedding ceremony in Jordan.

Baroness Anelay of St Johns: We have not made any representations to the Israeli authorities over this specific issue. We do, however, remain deeply concerned about restrictions on freedom of movement in the Occupied Palestinian Territories. Our Ambassador in Tel Aviv raised this issue with Israeli National Security Advisor Cohen on 2 November. Our Consul-General to Jerusalem also raised this issue with the Mayor of Jerusalem on 28 October.

Darfur: Rape

Baroness Kinnock of Holyhead: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what is their assessment of whether continuing efforts to press the government of Sudan to tackle sexual and gender-based violence in Darfur have been successful, in the light of (1) the incidence of rape in the areas currently monitored by the UN and (2) the requirement in the legal framework in Sudan for a victim to provide four male witnesses to confirm that a rape was without consent.

Baroness Anelay of St Johns: We remain deeply concerned by the reported prevalence of sexual and gender-based violence in Darfur. While we welcome amendments to Sudanese law earlier this year that separated the crimes of rape and adultery we are concerned about how the law is implemented.In addition to engaging the Government of Sudan, we will continue to support a wide-range of efforts to progress this issue. We strongly support the presence of the African Union/UN Hybrid Mission operation in Darfur (UNAMID) and have worked to ensure that the mission has a strong mandate to protect civilians across Darfur. We are also vocal – both bilaterally and through the UN’s Security and Human Rights Councils – in urging all armed actors to address sexual and gender-based violence in Darfur. The UK played a significant role in the adoption of UN Security Council Resolution 2242 reflecting the importance of Women, Peace and Security-related issues for the UN family. Bilaterally, we have provided support to over 150 survivors of rape in Darfur and contributed to the successful prosecution of members of the police and armed forces.

Israel: West Bank

Lord Hylton: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what influence they and the EU will exert to secure the lifting of restrictions imposed on Palestinians in and near Hebron.

Baroness Anelay of St Johns: We remain deeply concerned about restrictions on freedom of movement in and near Hebron as well as elsewhere in the Occupied Palestinian Territories. Through our Embassy in Tel Aviv, we continue to lobby the Israeli authorities on the issue of movement and access, most recently on 24 November when our Deputy Head of Mission discussed with the Head of the relevant unit at Israel's Ministry of Defence. We continue to work closely with EU partners to call on Israel to ease restrictions on access.

British Nationals Abroad: Islamic State

Lord Greaves: To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they treat UK citizens in Iraq and Syria who participate in ISIL actions and activities as enemy combatants or criminals, and whether in making such assessments they consider what the actions of those individuals were, in particular whether they are violent or of violent intent, and whether or not their violence is targeted at the UK or UK citizens.

Baroness Anelay of St Johns: More than 750 Britons of national security concern have travelled to the region since the start of the conflict and we estimate that around half of those have returned. Those who have committed criminal offences (including financing terrorism, training for terrorism and murder) should expect to be prosecuted for their crimes on their return to the UK.The British Government is carrying out air strikes to support Iraqi and Kurdish forces’ efforts against Daesh in Iraq. UK citizens who are part of Daesh in Iraq are in no different position to other Daesh members there. The current position in Syria is that the UK will only take military action if there is a critical British national interest at stake or there was the need to act to prevent a humanitarian catastrophe. In relation to the airstrike against Reyaad Khan on 21 August, I refer the noble Lord to the oral statement of 7 September 2015 made by the Prime Minister, my right hon. Friend the Member for Witney (Mr Cameron), which was repeated the same day in the House of Lords by The Lord Privy Seal (Baroness Stowell of Beeston), (Official Report, column 1249).

Iraq: Genocide

Lord Alton of Liverpool: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of whether the discovery of a booby-trapped mass grave in northern Iraq is evidence of genocide against minorities such as Yazidis and Assyrian Christians.

Baroness Anelay of St Johns: We are aware of reports that mass graves have been discovered in northern Iraq, at least one of which was allegedly booby trapped by Daesh. We condemn in the strongest terms the targeting and persecution of Yezidis, Christians and other communities by this brutal terrorist organisation.We continue to urge the Government of Iraq to do all it can to ensure the security and rights of all communities in Iraq. We are working in Iraq to build consensus around the importance of freedom of religion or belief; and supporting practical projects on community dialogue with civil society and faith groups.The British Government believes that recognition of genocides should be a matter for international courts. It should be a legal, rather than political determination, decided by international judges after consideration of all the evidence available in the context of a credible international judicial process.

Saudi Arabia: Prisoners

Lord Kennedy of Southwark: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what representations they have made to the government of Saudi Arabia about the case of Waleed Abu Khair.

Baroness Anelay of St Johns: We continue to be concerned by the case of Waleed abu Al-Khair and have raised it at a senior level with the Saudi authorities. We will continue to follow this and other cases closely.

Northern Ireland Office

Northern Ireland Government

Lord Laird: To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord Dunlop on 25 November (HL3646), on what dates over the last 24 months the government of the Republic of Ireland attended in any capacity meetings held under section 1 of the 1998 Belfast Agreement; where the meetings were held; and what was discussed.

Lord Dunlop: The Government has held regular meetings with the Irish Government over the last two years. The Irish Government has not been in any negotiations or been involved in discussions about Strand one issues under the Belfast Agreement. As the Government set out in its Northern Ireland manifesto at the election, we are committed to upholding the well-established three-stranded approach.

Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

Ethnic Groups: Employment

Lord Taylor of Warwick: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what steps are being taken to increase racial diversity in the workplace in the light of the Business in the Community report Race at Work 2015, which found that ethnic minority Britons are struggling against bias at work.

Baroness Neville-Rolfe: The Equality Act 2010 protects all individuals against racial and other forms of discrimination in the workplace. The Prime Minister has underlined the Government’s commitments to increasing racial diversity in the workplace in his 2020 Vision in which he made a commitment to increase BAME employment by 20% by 2020. Her Majesty’s Government welcomes the publication of the Race at Work report and will study its recommendations carefully,.

Student Opportunity Fund

Baroness Burt of Solihull: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what plans they have to retain the Student Opportunity fund.

Baroness Evans of Bowes Park: The Higher Education Funding Council for England (HEFCE) is responsible for decisions on how the student opportunity fund is allocated to higher education institutions and for publishing guidance.We will be issuing a grant letter to the HEFCE in the New Year outlining the Government’s priorities for expenditure through the teaching grant, including on widening access.

Innovate UK

Lord Allen of Kensington: To ask Her Majesty’s Government when Innovate UK will publish its strategy for 2016–20.

Baroness Neville-Rolfe: Innovate UK intends to publish its Strategy for 2016-20 in the spring. This will be followed by the publication of Innovate UK’s Delivery Plan for 2016-17. This timetable takes account of the timing of the recent Spending Review.X

Department for Education

Teachers: Training

Baroness Donaghy: To ask Her Majesty’s Government how many primary phase students were recruited in 2015–16 to initial teacher training courses delivered through (1) core university provision, (2) school-centred initial teacher training provision, (3) School Direct salaried, and (4) School Direct fee-paying provision, compared to the total number of training places allocated to each of those routes.

Baroness Donaghy: To ask Her Majesty’s Government how many secondary phase students, by individual secondary subject, were recruited in 2015–16 to initial teacher training programmes delivered through (1) core university provision, (2) school-centred initial teacher training provision, (3) School Direct salaried, and (4) School Direct fee-paying provision, compared to the total number of training places allocated to each of those routes and subjects.

Lord Nash: For the academic year 2015 to 2016 we recruited 13,034 initial trainee teachers to primary programmes (compared to 12,872 in 2014 to 2015) and 15,114 to secondary programmes (compared to 12,971 in 2014 to 2015). These figures are for postgraduate only and include Teach First and forecasted trainees. This represents 116% and 82% against the Teacher Supply Model (TSM) target respectively. The target is higher this year compared to academic year 2014 to 2015.We allocated a total of 13,962 postgraduate places in primary and 22,800 postgraduate secondary programmes, against TSM targets of 11,245 and 18,541 respectively.We allocate more ITT places than we require trainee teachers, and the extent to which we over-allocate differs by route. When assessing recruitment overall we measure the number of trainee teachers recruited against the number required, rather than against the proportion of allocated places that are filled.The table below shows the total postgraduate trainees by secondary subject and primary phase. The total includes 1,584 Teach First and 379 forecast trainees. The table also includes trainees and allocations by route.



Provisional Data on ITT new Entrants
(Excel SpreadSheet, 60 KB)

Equal Pay

Lord Stoddart of Swindon: To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the Answer by Baroness Altmann on 19 November (HL Deb, col 265) promising to look at the gender pay gap for older women, whether they will also look into the gender pay gap between men and women under 35 years of age.

Baroness Williams of Trafford: We are pleased with the progress made towards eliminating the gender pay gap women working full time under the age of 40, but we are not complacent. To encourage young women to consider a wide range of career options, we have revised statutory guidance for schools on careers to raise aspirations; established a new Careers and Enterprise Company to encourage greater collaboration between employers and schools to inspire young people; supported the ‘Your Life’ campaign to encourage more young people to pursue careers in science, technology, engineering and maths (STEM); and published the ‘Your Daughter’s Future’ guidance for parents.

Ministry of Justice

Secure Colleges: Leicestershire

Lord Beecham: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of the costs that will have been incurred in the event that the planned provision of a secure college on the Glen Parva site does not go ahead.

Lord Faulks: An error has been identified in the written answer given on 02 July 2015.The correct answer should have been:

The Coalition government legislated for secure colleges and we are now considering the next steps.Estimated sSpend up to and including 30 April 2015 on the Secure College pathfinder was £1.56m resource (mainly expenditure on staff pay and procurement) and £4.04m capital (mainly design fees and site preparation costs). These figures are subject to review by the National Audit Office in January 2016.No additional costs would be incurred in the event that the pathfinder did not go ahead. The design work produced for the pathfinder could be used or adapted for various other forms of adult or youth custody. The prepared site at Glen Parva could be used for a range of developments.

Lord Faulks: The Coalition government legislated for secure colleges and we are now considering the next steps.Estimated sSpend up to and including 30 April 2015 on the Secure College pathfinder was £1.56m resource (mainly expenditure on staff pay and procurement) and £4.04m capital (mainly design fees and site preparation costs). These figures are subject to review by the National Audit Office in January 2016.No additional costs would be incurred in the event that the pathfinder did not go ahead. The design work produced for the pathfinder could be used or adapted for various other forms of adult or youth custody. The prepared site at Glen Parva could be used for a range of developments.

Holloway Prison

Baroness Kennedy of Cradley: To ask Her Majesty’s Government how many prisoners are presently held at HMP Holloway.

Lord Faulks: As published on the MOJs website, on Friday 30 October 2015 there were 544 prisoners held in HM Prison and Young Offender Institution Holloway.A figure for Friday 27 November 2015 will be published on the 11 December 2015 on the Ministry of Justice website.Individual prison population and capacity information for every prison in England and Wales, as well as the total population and useable operational capacity of the prison estate is published monthly on the Ministry of Justice website.

Department for Culture, Media and Sport

Broadband

Lord Wills: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what is their latest assessment of regional variations in achieving their target of establishing superfast broadband coverage to 90 per cent of the UK by 2016.

Baroness Neville-Rolfe: An error has been identified in the written answer given on 26 November 2015.The correct answer should have been:

The Government is committed toprovidingsuperfast broadband coverage to 95 per centof UK premisesby 2017. At the end Phase 1 of the programme, we expect to reach 90 per cent coverage across the UK -and more than 90 per cent superfast coverage in around two thirds of local body partnership areas. For the longer term the Government will also launch a public consultation early next year in preparation for the implementation of a new broadbandUniversal Service Obligation,with the ambition to give people the legal right to request a connection to broadband with speeds of 10 Mbps,nomatterwherein the countrytheylive.Data on regional and local coverage of superfast broadband was published by Ofcom in its Infrastructure Report in December 2014:http://stakeholders.ofcom.org.uk/binaries/research/infrastructure/2014/Fixed_local_authority.csv.DCMS has also placed estimates of superfast coverage at constituency level at the end of the current broadband programme in the House of Commons library, reference DEP2015-0163:http://www.parliament.uk/business/publications/business-papers/commons/deposited-papers/?fd=2015-02-01&td=2015-04-01&house=1&search_term=Department+for+Culture%2c+Media+and+Sport&itemId=122028#toggle-163The Government is committed to providing superfast broadband coverage to 95 per cent of UK premises by 2017. At the end Phase 1 of the programme, we expect to reach 90 per cent coverage across the UK -and more than 90 per cent superfast coverage in around two thirds of local body partnership areas. For the longer term the Government will also launch a public consultation early next year in preparation for the implementation of a new broadband Universal Service Obligation, with the ambition to give people the legal right to request a connection to broadband with speeds of 10 Mbps, no matter where in the country they live.Data on regional and local coverage of superfast broadband was published by Ofcom in its Infrastructure Report in December 2014:http://stakeholders.ofcom.org.uk/binaries/research/infrastructure/2014/Fixed_local_authority.csv.DCMS has also placed estimates of superfast coverage at constituency level at the end of the current broadband programme in the House of Commons library, reference DEP2015-0163:http://www.parliament.uk/business/publications/business-papers/commons/deposited-papers/?fd=2015-02-01&td=2015-04-01&house=1&search_term=Department+for+Culture%2c+Media+and+Sport&itemId=122028#toggle-163

Baroness Neville-Rolfe: The Government is committed toprovidingsuperfast broadband coverage to 95 per centof UK premisesby 2017. At the end Phase 1 of the programme, we expect to reach 90 per cent coverage across the UK -and more than 90 per cent superfast coverage in around two thirds of local body partnership areas. For the longer term the Government will also launch a public consultation early next year in preparation for the implementation of a new broadbandUniversal Service Obligation,with the ambition to give people the legal right to request a connection to broadband with speeds of 10 Mbps,nomatterwherein the countrytheylive.Data on regional and local coverage of superfast broadband was published by Ofcom in its Infrastructure Report in December 2014:http://stakeholders.ofcom.org.uk/binaries/research/infrastructure/2014/Fixed_local_authority.csv.DCMS has also placed estimates of superfast coverage at constituency level at the end of the current broadband programme in the House of Commons library, reference DEP2015-0163:http://www.parliament.uk/business/publications/business-papers/commons/deposited-papers/?fd=2015-02-01&td=2015-04-01&house=1&search_term=Department+for+Culture%2c+Media+and+Sport&itemId=122028#toggle-163The Government is committed to providing superfast broadband coverage to 95 per cent of UK premises by 2017. At the end Phase 1 of the programme, we expect to reach 90 per cent coverage across the UK -and more than 90 per cent superfast coverage in around two thirds of local body partnership areas. For the longer term the Government will also launch a public consultation early next year in preparation for the implementation of a new broadband Universal Service Obligation, with the ambition to give people the legal right to request a connection to broadband with speeds of 10 Mbps, no matter where in the country they live.Data on regional and local coverage of superfast broadband was published by Ofcom in its Infrastructure Report in December 2014:http://stakeholders.ofcom.org.uk/binaries/research/infrastructure/2014/Fixed_local_authority.csv.DCMS has also placed estimates of superfast coverage at constituency level at the end of the current broadband programme in the House of Commons library, reference DEP2015-0163:http://www.parliament.uk/business/publications/business-papers/commons/deposited-papers/?fd=2015-02-01&td=2015-04-01&house=1&search_term=Department+for+Culture%2c+Media+and+Sport&itemId=122028#toggle-163

Department for Work and Pensions

Poverty

Lord Stoddart of Swindon: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what is their definition of poverty.

Lord Freud: Poverty is complex and affects different people in different ways throughout their lives. As such, the Government does not have one recognised definition, or measure, of poverty which applies to everyone’s stage of someone’s life. Our focus is on ensuring we have measures which drive the right approaches to tackling the root causes of poverty.

Ministry of Defence

Trident Submarines

Lord Robertson of Port Ellen: To ask Her Majesty’s Government how the lifetime of the Vanguard-class submarines can be extended beyond the previous published date of 2018 to the 2030s referred to in the 2015 Strategic Defence and Security Review.

Earl Howe: As set out in the 2010 Strategic Defence and Security Review, we have assessed that we can safely manage and maintain the Vanguard boats until Successor submarines are introduced into service in the early 2030s.

HMS Vanguard

Lord West of Spithead: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what was the designed operational life of HMS Vanguard.

Earl Howe: In common with most Royal Navy ships and submarines, the initial operational life planning estimate for the Vanguard class submarines was 25 years. The planning estimates of in-service life for all defence platforms are routinely reviewed and amended when appropriate.

Home Office

British Nationals Abroad: Syria

Lord Blencathra: To ask Her Majesty’s Government why 450 British extremists who have been, or are believed to have been, fighting in Syria have been permitted to re-enter the UK, and why only three of those individuals have been charged with terrorist offences.

Lord Bates: Approximately 800 British nationals have travelled to Syria to take part in the conflict since it began, and of those who are known to have travelled about half have returned.It is a general convention of international law that a state should allow entry of its own citizens.However, everyone who returns from taking part in the conflict in Syria or Iraq – which includes those who voluntarily decide to live in areas controlled by ISIL – must expect to be subject to review by the police to determine if they have committed criminal offences abroad, and to ensure that they do not pose a threat to our national security.British citizens and residents who commit offences abroad can be prosecuted under a wide range of terrorism and criminal law offences including training for terrorism and murder.Decisions on charging are taken independently on a case-by-case basis by the Crown Prosecution Service.

Refugees

Lord Roberts of Llandudno: To ask Her Majesty’s Government which local authorities have agreed to accept Syrian and other refugees.

Lord Bates: Local authorities from across the UK participate in the four resettlement programmes which the UK operates. These run on a voluntary basis, and we do not disclose which are involved as resettlement can be a sensitive issue. Providing this information without their consent could deter other local authorities from participating in future.It is at the discretion of Local Authorities to disclose whether or not they are involved with the Syrian Resettlement programme.

Scotland Office

Scottish Parliament: Legislative Consent Motions

The Duke of Montrose: To ask Her Majesty’s Government how many times the Scottish Parliament has passed a legislative consent motion for legislation regarding matters that were not at that time devolved under Schedule 5 to the Scotland Act 1998, and in each case what reason was given for the motion.

Lord Dunlop: This Government and its predecessors have always sought consent from the Scottish Parliament with regard to legislating on devolved matters under the Sewel Convention. The Convention does not require consent to be sought for matters which are reserved under Schedule 5 of the Scotland Act 1998, though the legislative consent process can be used to enable the Scottish Parliament to indicate its consent for certain matters to be transferred in or out of Schedule 5. For example, section 10 of the Scotland Act 2012 made provision for certain elements in relation to air weapons to be within the legislative competence of the Scottish Parliament and a Legislative Consent Motion was passed to cover this provision.

HM Treasury

Public Finance

Lord Taylor of Warwick: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what steps they are taking to reduce the deficit in the light of statistics from the ONS recording the highest level of borrowing in six years.

Lord O'Neill of Gatley: The government has made significant progress to date in reducing borrowing – the deficit has more than halved as a share of GDP since 2009-10 and the national debt as a share of GDP is forecast to be falling this year. But the job is not yet done - the deficit remains high among advanced economies.At Summer Budget the government announced £17 billion of consolidation measures; £5 billion from tax avoidance, evasion and imbalances in the tax system and £12 billion from welfare reform. The Autumn Statement and Spending Review laid out a further £18 billion; £12 billion savings to overall RDEL spending; £3 billion from the Apprenticeship levy and £3 billion from delivering reforms such as Making Tax Digital and further measures to tackle tax avoidance.In their November forecast, the independent OBR predict the deficit to fall in each year of this Parliament, reaching a £10.1 billion surplus by 2019-20.

Small Business, Enterprise and Employment Act 2015

Lord Cotter: To ask Her Majesty’s Government how they plan to implement the Small Business Enterprise and Employment Act 2015's mandatory referral scheme.

Lord O'Neill of Gatley: The referral scheme is not yet up and running but the Government is committed to delivering this policy which will help small and medium sized enterprises access the finance they need to grow and expand.Since the Government announced the Finance Platform policy it has consulted, passed primary legislation and is now close to making secondary legislation.The British Business Bank is currently undertaking a due diligence process on Finance Platforms that have expressed an interest in becoming designated and will advise HM Treasury on designation in the Spring; with the policy expected to ‘go live’ later in 2016.

Cabinet Office

Electoral Register: Young People

Lord Lexden: To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord Bridges of Headley on 17 November (HL3184), how many electoral registration officers have visited schools and colleges in the last twelve months; and what proportion of the total number of electoral registration officers that figure represents.

Lord Bridges of Headley: This information is not collected centrally.

Older People

Lord Turnberg: To ask Her Majesty’s Government how many UK citizens there were over the age of 75 in each of the years between 1999 and 2015.

Lord Bridges of Headley: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the UK Statistics Authority. I have asked the Authority to reply.



UKSA referral letter
(PDF Document, 116.87 KB)

Department of Health

Fluoride: Drinking Water

Lord Hunt of Kings Heath: To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether the running costs of existing and future fluoridation schemes will continue to be funded when the ring-fenced public health grant is removed; and if so, how.

Lord Hunt of Kings Heath: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what arrangements they have made for the capital funding costs of new fluoridation schemes.

Lord Prior of Brampton: Since April 2013 Public Health England (PHE), on behalf of the Secretary of State, has recovered the operational costs of water fluoridation from local authorities served by these arrangements. The Secretary of State is required to meet the reasonable fluoridation capital and operating costs incurred by water undertakers in England and has the power to require local authorities to make payments to the Secretary of State to meet any such costs he has incurred. There are no proposed changes to the legislation affecting these arrangements.Funding arrangements for the capital costs of new fluoridation schemes in England will need to be agreed between local authorities and PHE, on behalf of the Secretary of State, as part of the preparatory work before the scheme can commence.

West London Mental Health NHS Trust

Lord Hunt of Kings Heath: To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they are taking any action against the West London Mental Health NHS Trust for allegedly barring Dr Stuart Lorimer from commenting on his being placed on The Independent on Sunday’s Rainbow List; and if so, what.

Lord Prior of Brampton: We are assured by the NHS Trust Development Authority that the West London Mental Health NHS Trust has not sought to prevent Dr Stuart Lorimer or any other member of staff from speaking about the Independent on Sunday’s Rainbow List and the recognition of Dr Lorimer’s work with the Lesbian Gay Bisexual and Transgender (LGBT) community. We understand the Trust has congratulated Dr Lorimer on being recognised for his work with the LGBT community.

West London Mental Health NHS Trust

Lord Hunt of Kings Heath: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of the performance of the West London Mental Health NHS Trust in combatting bullying in that organisation.

Lord Prior of Brampton: We are advised by the NHS Trust Development Agency (NHS TDA) that the West London Mental Health NHS Trust is aware of long standing concerns relating to staff engagement and bullying within the organisation. These concerns were highlighted in recent inspections of the Trust by the Care Quality Commission.We are assured by the NHS TDA that the trust has put in place a comprehensive staff engagement programme aimed at improving working culture and staff morale. The Trust has also introduced a number of additional staff support mechanisms to enable staff to raise any concerns they may have around bullying and harassment.

Diabetes

Lord Hunt of Kings Heath: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of the evidence on which the current emphasis by NHS Choices on low-fat products or unsaturated fats in dietary advice for people with diabetes, or who are pre-diabetic, is based.

Lord Hunt of Kings Heath: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of the focus in the current dietary advice by NHS Choices to people with diabetes or who are pre-diabetic on the possible benefits of a diet combining protein with low glycemic load carbohydrates.

Lord Prior of Brampton: Public Health England (PHE) advocates a healthy balanced diet for all based on the eatwell plate; the national healthy eating guide. The eatwell plate shows for a healthy balanced diet people should try to eat plenty of starchy foods, fruit and vegetables, some milk, dairy, meat, fish and other non-dairy sources of protein and only small amounts of food and drinks high in fat and/or sugar.The Government takes a whole population approach to healthy eating, and therefore does not provide specific dietary advice to individuals with medical needs. It is recommended for anyone with a medical condition who is in search of dietary advice to consult their local general practitioner or a dietician.In July 2015, the Scientific Advisory Committee on Nutrition (SACN) published its report on Carbohydrates and Health, a review of the latest evidence on dietary carbohydrates and health. SACN recommended reducing sugar consumption, increasing fibre consumption and minimising consumption of sugars-sweetened drinks. A copy of Carbohydrates and Health is attached.Following publication, advice on what constitutes a healthy balanced diet, for the general population, which includes those with diabetes, was updated to reflect SACN’s recommendations. As part of this, PHE is undertaking a review of the eatwell plate; the refreshed resource will be launched in early 2016.



Carbohydrates and Health
(PDF Document, 2.39 MB)

Social Services: Expenditure

Lord Turnberg: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what proportion of the UK's GDP was spent on social care in each year between 1999 and 2015.

Lord Prior of Brampton: Expenditure on adult social care in England as a proportion of gross domestic product (GDP) is detailed in the table below. Expenditure data for the rest of the United Kingdom is not available.Financial YearUK GDP (£ billions)England adult social care (£ billions)Proportion of UK GDP on England's adult social care1999-20009808.500.87%2000-011,0409.050.87%2001-021,0809.480.88%2002-031,14010.300.90%2003-041,21011.510.95%2004-051,27012.620.99%2005-061,35013.461.00%2006-071,43013.980.98%2007-081,50014.330.96%2008-091,50015.081.01%2009-101,50015.721.05%2010-111,57016.061.02%2011-121,63015.550.95%2012-131,68015.350.91%2013-141,76015.510.88%2014-151,83015.510.85%2014-15 is the last year we have outturn data for spend on adult social care.The cash terms figures and comparisons to GDP for gross spend on children and young people’s services in England, calculated from the Department for Education section 251 data returns are set out in the table below. Expenditure data for the rest of the UK is not available.Financial YearUK GDP (£ billions)England children’s social care (£ billions)Proportion of UK GDP on England's children’s social care2010-111,5709.260.59%2011-121,6308.650.53%2012-131,6808.880.53%2013-141,7608.990.51%2010-11 was the first time that national level income and expenditure data were presented in the form of a statistical release. To derive comparable figures for previous years would incur disproportionate cost.

Local HealthWatch

Lord Hunt of Kings Heath: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of whether local healthwatches are meeting Healthwatch England's mission to be a consumer champion, in the light of reports that some contractors and local authorities refuse to engage with the public in their area.

Lord Hunt of Kings Heath: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what recourse or right of appeal is available to a member of the public removed from, or prevented from working with, a local healthwatch by the contractors.

Lord Hunt of Kings Heath: To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they plan to undertake an investigation into the performance of local healthwatches.

Lord Hunt of Kings Heath: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what action they propose to take to ensure that a proper distinction is made between the role of the contractor appointed by the local authority to enable local healthwatches to be established and run, and that of the local healthwatch organisation itself.

Lord Prior of Brampton: The Department currently has no plans to undertake an investigation in to the performance of local Healthwatch organisations. In March 2015 the Department published a report commissioned from the King’s Fund – Local Healthwatch: Progress and promise - which set out the progress that local Healthwatch have made since being established in 2013. Transparency about the performance of local Healthwatch organisations is provided through the annual reports which they are required to publish. Reports on how the local Healthwatch network as a whole is operating and the nature of the support needed to deliver their activities effectively are discussed at quarterly public meetings of the Healthwatch England Committee.Arrangements for ensuring local Healthwatch statutory activities are delivered in each area are a matter for local authorities. The Local Government Association has published guidance to support local Healthwatch and local commissioners in putting in place good governance arrangements, which includes clarity about the roles of all parties involved.Neither the Department nor Healthwatch England are aware of local Healthwatch contractors refusing to engage with the public in their area. Where Healthwatch England is made aware of concerns in relation to local Healthwatch around governance or local relationships with specific individuals or organisations, it seeks to provide support to resolve these where appropriate. Members of the public are able to raise concerns though the complaints process of the local Healthwatch or the commissioning local authority.



Local Heathwatch
(PDF Document, 572.48 KB)